The list of 18 BJP candidates was released by the Bharatiya Janata Party Central Election Committee for ensuing biennial elections to the council of states. As per BJP’s calculations, if the party gets 17 additional votes for Ms Rahatkar, she has the chance of winning with the second preference votes. They further said this affected the morale of party workers. Monday is the last day for nominations.

But the airport authorities refused permission since re-carpeting was in progress. Congress party leader and former minister Rajmani Patel too submitted the nomination form.

The ruling Congress in Karnataka can easily win two seats and meets few extra votes for the third seat.

In the 119-member Legislative Assembly, the party-wise strength is: TRS-82, INC-19, MIM-7, BJP-5, TDP-3, Independent-1, CPI (M)-1 and CPI-1. But will the Congress manage to fight anti-incumbency in the one of the few states it governs in India following the Modi wave? Nitin is still a Samajwadi Party MLA. Rana’s candidature was announced thereafter.

Sources claimed that after SP MP Naresh Agarwal was denied renomination by Akhilesh Yadav for another term in the Rajya Sabha, the possibility of cross-voting by some of the SP MLAs in favour of the BJP candidates had increased. It also expects support of MLAs from smaller parties- B R Patil (KJP), B Nagendra (independent) and Ashok Kheny (KMP), who have recently joined the Congress. But it has just 12 MLAs in the Telangana state assembly. Kerala PCC general secretary and former legislator Babu Prasad also filed his nomination as candidate of the Congress-led UDF Opposition.

A former minister of state for railways at the Centre, Rathwa had lost Lok Sabha election in 2014. When asked about the excessive Value-Added Tax being imposed on petrol and diesel in Madhya Pradesh, he said the matter would be discussed after the Rajya Sabha elections.

With Chandrashekar assured of victory by virtue of the BJP having 48 votes, the contest will be for the fourth seat between the Congress and the JD-S, whose strength got reduced to 37 after three of its members were suspended for revolting against its leadership.